Public Funding
Donations simply aren’t realistic for every landowner, so programs that support purchases and bargain sales of land and easements are essential to the protection of special places in our communities. Please join us in supporting increased and dedicated funding for conservation, along with program changes to better leverage public resources through local partnerships and the generosity of private landowners.
As pressure grows to cut the federal budget, the Alliance is partnering with the LWCF Coalition, AVCRP Coalition, and others to greatly expand its work on appropriations (fact sheet). Spending on land, water, ocean and wildlife programs comprises just 1.26% of the federal budget and has grown just 2% over the last 30 years, yet a new study shows that these programs help to support 9.4 million jobs and over $1 trillion in economic activity. We need your help to defend these critical investments from disproportionate cuts -- NOW is the time to tell your legislators which federal programs you rely on and how they benefit your community.
Conservation Funding Updates
April 11, 2013: President's FY14 Budget released; requests full, mandatory funding for LWCF
President Obama released his budget request with good news for the Land and Water Conservation Fund: full funding of $900 million beginning in FY2015, and $600 million for the program starting next year. Unfortunately an extension of the enhanced conservation easement tax incentive is not included and the effective benefit of charitable deductions would be capped. Read more.
- March 26, 2013: FY13 Spending Deal Boosts FRPP, Averts Disproportionate Cuts
- February 21, 2013: Honeymoon's Over: Land Trust Priorities at Risk in Washington
- January 2, 2013: Fiscal Cliff Deal Delays Sequestration
- September 17, 2012: Sequestration Would Cut Most Domestic Spending by 8.2 Percent
- June 28, 2012: Transportation Bill Drops LWCF, Funds Gulf Coast Restoration
See our NEW summary table and archived appropriations updates. Looking for Farm Bill Updates? They're located on a special page.
Fact Sheets
For public officials:
For land trusts:
The America’s Great Outdoors Initiative is a key opportunity to place private conservation, land trusts and the policy tools we need at the center of the Obama administration’s vision for the future of conservation.
Investing more than a billion dollars in conservation programs each year, the Farm Bill now far exceeds other federal sources of conservation funding. Learn more, and help us improve and expand easement programs in the 2012 Farm Bill.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy are important sources of funding for federal and state acquisitions of land and easements. Help us secure dedicated funding and make these programs more available to land trusts.
Dozens of other federal programs have supported land trust projects over the years. We’re working to gather and share creative examples so more land trusts can seize these opportunities.
While we remain focused on the federal level, there is little question that state and local governments have provided the majority of conservation funding. Learn more about the tools and partnerships available to support funding campaigns.
Summary Table of Recent Funding Levels for Key Conservation Programs
The following are recent funding levels for the programs we follow most closely. All amounts are in millions, rounded to the nearest $100k. Please let us know if you're looking for additional details. Federal budgeting is an extremely complex process, so please let us know if you think we've gotten any of these numbers wrong. Email policy@lta.org
Click here for a more detailed chart, going back to Fiscal Year 2008
| Program | FY11 Enacted | FY12 House1 | FY12 Senate | FY12 Enacted | FY13 Obama Budget | FY13 House | FY13 Senate | FY13 Enacted (Full-year CR Sequestered) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm and Ranch lands Protection Program (FRPP) | $175.0 | $150.0 | $150.0 | $150.0 | $200.0 | $150.0 | $200.0 | $189.811 | |
| Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) | $78.6 | $86.7 | $66.7 | $86.7 | $5.06 | $5.07 | $116.77 | ???7 | |
| Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)3 | $301.0 | $90.82 | $327.4 | $322.9 | $450.0 | $68.0 | $378.0 | $306.3 | |
| LWCF Federal Acquisition4 | $176.9 | $78.0 | $199.4 | $199.5 | $269.9 | $51.6 | $184.8 | $189.2 | |
| LWCF State Grants | $40.0 | $2.8 | $45.0 | $45.0 | $60.0 | $2.0 | $45.6 | $42.7 | |
| Forest Legacy Program (FLP) | $52.9 | $10.0 | $58.0 | $53.4 | $60.0 | $3.0 | $60.0 | $50.6 | |
| Cooperative Endangered Species Fund (Section 6) Land Acquisition5 | $31.0 | $0 | $25.0 | $25.0 | $60.0 | $11.4 | $47.5 | $23.7 | |
| North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) | $37.4 | $20.0 | $35.6 | $35.6 | $39.4 | $22.3 | $35.5 | $33.8 | |
| State Wildlife Grants (SWG) | $61.9 | $22.0 | $61.4 | $61.4 | $61.3 | $30.7 | $61.3 | $58.2 | |
| Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) | $300.0 | $250.0 | $300.0 | $300.0 | $300.0 | $250.0 | $300.0 | $284.5 | |
| Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) | $11.010 | $0 | $5.0 | $3.0 | $0 | $0 | $3.0 | $2.8 |
1 After Congress failed to enact FY11 appropriations in 2010, the incoming Republican House proposed severe cuts in a bill designated H.R. 1. The marked improvement in the FY 2012 House Interior bill demonstrates the impact of our education efforts.
2 While a severe cut, it should be noted that $90.8 million is actually an improvement over the House's original proposal for FY12. It includes $29 million restored to LWCF through successful amendments proposed by Reps. Hinchey, Hayworth, Bass and Tipton (including $7 million for Forest Legacy). The House Interior bill never passed in its amended form.
3 These LWCF totals include the italicized programs below, LWCF Federal acquisition, LWCF State Grants, Forest Legacy Program, and Section 6 Land Acquisition.
4 This subtotal includes acquisition funding directed to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and National Park Service (NPS), along with funding for the Office of Valuation Services (OVS). For breakdowns by agency and project, see our LWCF & Forest Legacy page (FY13 should be proportional to FY12).
5 Most of these numbers reflect only the portion of Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation grants derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for land acquisition. President Obama's budget requests have drawn all Cooperative Endangered Species funding from LWCF, and thus should be compared to the program totals. Total enacted funding for FY10, 11 and 12 was $85 m, $59.9 m, and $47.8 m respectively.
6 With continued authorization of the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) uncertain, the President's request includes only minimal funding for existing agreements and ongoing stewardship.
7 Spending for the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is governed by increasing or decreasing the program's acreage cap. Dollar figures for current or future years are estimates in cases where the committee provides a summary table. The FY13 CR bill is silent on GRP and it's summary table estimates a $30 million increase over last year's funding level of $86.7 m. That implies a level of $116.7 m, but it's unclear if that's their ultimate intent. In light of the Farm Bill extension and sequestration, it's not yet clear how much funding OMB will actually apportion.
10 CELCP has received some of it's funding from GLRI in recent years: $5 m in FY10, $1 m in FY11 and further GLRI funds are expected in FY12. Thus there may be some double-counting in these items.
11 FRPP and GRP are considered "mandatory" spending, with automatic apportionments designated by the Farm Bill, but Congressional appropriators can and often do limit the funding available. In the case of Fiscal Year 2013, the continuing resolution's silence on FRPP should allow it to rise to its mandatory funding level of $200 m (reduced by sequestration to $189.8). The tricky element here is that OMB has already apportioned FY13 FRPP funds based on the assumption that Congress would provide $150 million; the Alliance will work to ensure that OMB actually allocates this additional funding.
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